Seven indicted in Long Branch cocaine ring

LONG BRANCH -- Seven men were indicted during a state investigation into a cocaine ring in Long Branch, authorities announced today.

Members of the ring allegedly distributed up to 2 kilograms of cocaine each month.

Saed Hindash/The Star-LedgerAttorney General Anne Milgram at a news conference August in this file photo."Each time we dismantle this type of drug ring, we eliminate a supply line of illegal drugs that are poisoning our communities," Attorney General Anne Milgram said in a statement.

Miguel Corea-Diaz, 27; Manuel Savedra, 37; Gilberto Badillo, 39; and Fredis Ventura, 30 — all from Long Branch — were arrested on Aug. 27 in a series of raids. State officials said they seized $75,000 in cocaine, $15,000 cash and five vehicles that day.

Two of the other defendants — Alejandro Huezca of Southampton, Pa., and Anibal Ortiz, 27, of Neptune City — were arrested on different dates, but one of the alleged leaders, Elvin Sierra-Santiago, 31, is believed to have fled to the Dominican Republic.

In the indictment, Sierra-Santiago, Corea-Diaz and Savedra were charged with first-degree cocaine distribution, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Ventura, Huezca and Ortiz were charged with second-degree conspiracy and drug offenses, while Badillo only faces conspiracy charges.